Persons using a wheelchair for locomotion require special provision for transporting that device when taking an automobile trip for medical, business or social purposes; and ordinarily, the confined person's attendant will collapse the wheelchair and store it in the trunk or seat space of the automobile or in the cargo area of the stationwagon or utility vehicle which is being used for transportation. This type of manipulation and handling of the average wheelchair requires considerable physical strength and dexterity because a wheelchair is inherently a heavy, bulky, awkward device; and in many instances, the attendant of choice in a given situation is the incapacitated person's aged spouse or parent lacking the requisite strength for the task, thus restricting the ease and therefore the frequency of trips.
In order to facilitate automobile travel for wheelchair persons, carrier devices have been proposed in the past for minimal ground clearance attachment to a car bumper. However, these prior art wheelchair carriers either have required an expensive, permanent installation, including for example the use of a "Class A" trailer hitch, or have incorporated mechanically unstable, unsafe constructions, such as pivoted hangers. The deficiencies of the prior art carriers have frustrated their wide acceptance and have encouraged resort to the earlier unsatisfactory manipulatory procedures.